Wade Defense

The Wade Defense arises after 1. Nf3 d6 2. e4 Bg4. Black's first move, the Pirc Invitation, would normally continue with ...Nf6 and ...g6. Here Black develops the light-squared bishop before closing it in and pins the knight that supports White's center. The pin weakens White's control of d4 and e5, and Black keeps open the option of giving up the bishop on f3 to damage White's structure or to take some of the force out of a later d4. The cost is that the bishop commits early and can become a target, and White keeps a free hand in the center.

White's most common answer is 3. Be2, which breaks the pin quietly. Next in frequency, 3. d4 builds a full pawn center and is one of the engine's top choices, and 3. h3 immediately asks the bishop whether it will retreat or exchange. The engine rates the position as clearly better for White, and on Lichess White scores slightly better. The related Chigorin Plan, 1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 Bg4 3. c4 Nd7 4. Qb3 Rb8, uses the same bishop sortie against a queen's pawn setup instead of e4.